Main description:

The field ofneurodegenerative diseases is undergoing an unprecedented revolution. The past decade has seen the identification of new mutation mecha- nisms, such as triplet repeat expansions, and new genes causing familial forms of common neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Cellular and animal models based on this genetic information are now available and, importantly, common mechanisms are rapidly emerging among diseases that were once considered unrelated. The field is poised for the development of new therapies based on high throughput screenings and a bet- ter understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms leading to neurodegeneration. Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases reviews recent progress in this exploding field. By nature, such a book cannot be all inclu- sive. It focuses on Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and CAG triplet repeat diseases. In the first chapter, Bill Klein reviews the role of A~ toxicity in the patho- physiology of Alzheimer's disease. This controversial issue is further exam- ined in the context of transgenic models of Alzheimer's disease by LaFerla and colleagues.
Sue Griffin and Robert Mrak, and Caleb Finch and collabora- tors, then examine the role of glial cells and inflammation in Alzheimer's disease; a review of the role of proteolysis in the generation of abnormal pro- tein fragments by Hook and Mende-Mueller follows. Therapeutic opportuni- ties offered by a better understanding of Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology are examined by Perry Molinoff and his colleagues at Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Contents:

Ab Toxicity in Alzheimer's Disease, William L. Klein. Transgenic Models of Alzheimer's Disease, Michael C. Sugarman, Steven F. Hinton, and Frank M. LaFerla. Glial Cells in Alzheimer's Disease, Robert E. Mrak and W. Sue T. Griffin. Inflammation in Alzheimer's Disease, Caleb E. Finch, Valter Longo, Aya Miyao, Todd E. Morgan, Irina Rozovsky, Yubei Soong, Min Wei, Zhong Xie, and Hadi Zanjani. Proteolysis in Neurodegenerative Diseases, Vivian Y. H. Hook and Liane Mende-Mueller. Treatment Approaches for Alzheimer's Disease, Michael Gold, Kevin M. Felsenstein, and Perry Molinoff. Tau and a-Synuclein in Neurodegenerative Diseases, Benoit I. Giasson, Christina A. Wilson, John Q. Trojanowski, and Virginia M. Y. Lee. PET Investigations of Parkinson's Disease, Tamara Hershey, Stephen M. Moerlein, and Joel S. Perlmutter. Dopamine Neurotoxicity and Neurodegeneration, BethAnn McLaughlin. Mitochondria and Parkinson's Disease, Russell H. Swerdlow. Pathophysiology of SCA1, Harry T. Orr and Huda Y. Zoghbi. Pathophysiology of SCA3, Puneet Opal and Henry Paulson. Pathophysiology of Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy, Diane E. Merry. Mouse Models of Huntington's Disease, Marie-Francoise Chesselet and Michael S. Levine. Huntington-Associated Proteins, Marcy E. MacDonald, Lucius Passani, and Paige Hilditch-Maguire. Modeling Neurodegenerative Diseases in the Fruit Fly, George R. Jackson. Index.